The Leagues Cup game between FC Cincinnati and Chivas Guadalajar — the top teams in Major League Soccer and Liga MX — on Thursday at TQL Stadium was suspended in the 60th minute because of severe thunderstorms that continued to pound the area.
After waiting three hours and 39 minutes to try to resume play, a decision was made to postpone the completion of the game to 2 p.m. Friday, behind closed doors. Per Leagues Cup rules, the game needs to be finished within 48 hours, and Chivas is set to play Sporting Kansas City on Monday.
The tight turnaround made it difficult to arrange for stadium staffing and security to ensure a safe environment for fans, players and staff.The conclusion of the game will be broadcast on AppleTV’s MLS Season Pass, but more information will be communicated from Leagues Cup and FC Cincinnati.
Vazquez stepped up, and 90 seconds into the match, he put FCC on the board. He then scored the second goal in the eighth minute, as the Orange and Blue flipped the script from Sunday’s start against Sporting Kansas City when they fell behind by two goals in just about the same amount of time.
In that game, FCC rallied for a 3-3 (4-2 in PKs) win for two points playing up a man for the final 60 minutes.
For the third straight match, the Orange and Blue earned at least a one-man advantage. Chivas defender Gilberto “Tiba” Sepúlveda was sent off with a red card in the 45th minute when he laid out Aaron Boupendza to deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity on the edge of the penalty box.
Chivas had no shots on goal in the first 59 minutes Thursday, so Alec Kann did not need to make any saves to keep a shutout in that time, but six of its eight shots were blocked.
If the lead holds for a win in regulation, FCC locks up first in the Central 3 group and a home game in the Round of 32 knockout stage. Even a shootout win would be enough, but otherwise, its fate won’t be decided until Monday’s game between Chivas and Sporting KC.
The game will resume in the same spot where play was paused, with the same players and bench for both teams.
A full story will be published after the completion of the game Friday.
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